DC train crash injures 20

Two D.C. Metrorail trains collided in a station Wednesday afternoon, injuring 20 people.

BY HEATHER MOYER | WASHINGTON, D.C. |
November 4, 2004

Two D.C. Metrorail trains collided in a station Wednesday afternoon, injuring 20 people.

According to the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, the incident happened when an empty six-car train drifted backward and collided with another six-car train unloading passengers in the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan station.† Witnesses say one of the train operators screamed at passengers to get off the train when he saw the other one approaching.†

None of the injuries were life-threatening, and all were treated and released from area hospitals Wednesday.† The transit authority said the cause of the crash is not yet known and is now being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Images of the crash site show one of the trainís cars up in the air and leaning precariously against the other.† The station is closed until the investigation is complete.† The transit authority is running shuttle buses for travelers moving through the area, and warns commuters to give themselves plenty of extra travel time to make up for significant delays in service.